Why Is Yayoi Kusama the World’s Most Popular Artist?

Yayoi Kusama, the most beloved artist on the planet, is back in New York with a show at the David Zwirner Gallery that runs until Dec. 14. The show, Every Day I Pray For Love, features her trademark polka dots on paintings and sculptures, plus an immersive installation and a new Infinity Room called Dancing Lights That Flew Up To The Universe. This is a mirror-lined room with hanging globes that change from black-and-white to red, then go abruptly dark before the cycle starts over. The mirrors give the illusion of infinity in every direction, and if one could spend some time in there, it would be a great place to contemplate the mysteries of the universe. As is, the long lines of visitors have to keep moving, and there’s barely enough time for a quick selfie.

Zwirner is expecting 100,000 visitors to the current show, up from 75,000 at the gallery’s last Kusama show in 2017. Her 2014 museum exhibit attracted an average of 9,000 visitors a day as it traveled the globe, leading the Independent newspaper to crown her “the most popular artist in the world.” What makes this 90-year-old polka-dot lady so universally likable?